Susantha Goonatilake successfully steers the difficult course between the positivist defenders of science and their relativist critics. With astounding erudition, he demonstrates the substantial, multifaceted and continuing contributions of South Asian science to that of Europe. His convincing argument that similar claims have been made or can be made for other non-Western civilizations justifies his title Toward a Global Science. Martin Bemal, author of Black Athena A significant contribution to the emerging field of postcolonial reevaluations of both European and non-European science and technology traditions. This book is relevant to all the current debates about environmental priorities, about the failures of development, about South-to-North brain drains, about multiculturalism, about the need for decolonized global histories, about whose priorities should get to shape global political conomies.Sandra Harding, author of The Science Question in Feminism This study maps the depth and scope of the historical connections between Asia and Europe across the sciences, from mathematics to psychology and philosophy of science.... The outcome is a profoundly engaging work that confirms Susantha oonatilake as one of the most creative and innovative scholars of science.Jan Nederveen Pieterse, author of White on Black: Images of Africa and Blacks in Western Popular Culture... an insightful study of how some of the premodern scientific results and insights may serve us well in the modern world ... highly recommended.- Choice, July August 1999 First published by Indiana University Press, and with a new Preface to the Indian edition, this important book looks at the past, present and future contributions of South Asian civilizations to the field of science. Susantha Goonatilake, Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, is trained in both engineering and sociology. He is a Senior Consultant for the United Nations on science and technology and a member of the faculty of the New School for Social Research, New York, and the Vidyartha Center for Science and Society. He has taught at several universities and research institutes in Asia, Europe, and America. His numerous publications include Aborted Discovery: Science and Creativity in the Third World; Crippled Minds: An Exploration into Colonial Culture; The Evolution of Information: Lineages in Gene, Culture, and Artefact;Technological Independence: The Asian Experience; Technology Assessment; and Merged Evolution: The Long Term Implications of Information Technology and Biotechnology.